Growing up, Susann was notorious for skipping science class in search of a quiet corner to read in the library. As a graduate student studying English literature in Toronto and London, she found herself locked in closed libraries more than once because she'd lost track of time. She balanced her studies with work as a journalist for student newspapers, community newspapers, and city and business magazines, where she profiled industry leaders. Hired by Canada's nuclear research laboratory to simplify scientific writing into English, Susann gained insights into why the Canadian nuclear industry focused on peaceful applications of nuclear energy instead of weapons of mass destruction. She also experienced what it was like to live in a planned community disproportionately populated by highly educated scientists and engineers, and located about two hours' drive from an urban center.

Upon transitioning to life in a large city, she found work as the human resources manager of a venerable textile company, followed by staff positions in university HR departments. In Western Canada, she became a student again after three decades, studying public health with classmates young enough to be her kids. As a researcher and quality improvement consultant with a provincial health authority working in the multicultural city of Surrey, British Columbia, she worked with teams of exceptional nurses and surgeons to improve outcomes for surgical patients. Those nurses became the inspiration for her lead character, Jeannie Johal. As a healthcare leader, she led teams focused on investigating patients harmed while in hospital, with a view to identifying ways to prevent harm to the next patient.

She began writing the Jeannie Johal series while living in Eastern North Carolina. The City of Greenville is where she studied to become a Master Gardener, and where she continues to volunteer at the Pitt County Arboretum.

Books Three and Four in the series are in progress. Book Three sees Jeannie and Kathleen vacationing in Florida in a 55+ active living community where people go missing. Book Four features a return to East Carolina, where the storyline in Bless Your Heart continues in Greenville, Bethel, Edenton, and the Outer Banks.

Susann writes mysteries and thrillers because these are what she particularly enjoys reading. She studied fiction at the Squire Writing Workshop at Eastern Carolina University under the guidance of Emily Collin. At Thrillerfest in New York, she learned about the craft of writing from her writing heroes, including Lisa Gardner, Karin Slaughter, Michael Connolly, and J.D. Barker.

When not writing, Susann enjoys tinkering around the garden, learning about native and medicinal plants, and sharing homegrown produce with family and friends. She likes to make jewelry using colorful beads, brass, and silver wire. She donates proceeds from sales to local non-profits. Susann also likes watersports, whether it's kayaking in the marshes along the Fraser River in British Columbia, snorkeling in John Pennekamp Underwater Park in Key Largo, or paddling down the Tar River through Greenville. She divides her time between Florida and the Carolinas.